On calls from Grandma, catching fire

Twins' Perkins thought he was being fooled about starting

Here are some of the notable quotes from around Major League Baseball this week:

"I actually got a phone call from my grandma. That's when I knew that I wasn't getting fooled."

--Glen Perkins, Twins pitcher, on how he was convinced that the many calls and texts he received about being called up to start Wednesday night weren't a prank.
(St. Paul Pioneer Press)

"My first at-bat I was shaking, just trying to calm down."

--A's outfielder Chris Carter on his first at-bat in the Majors.
(Oakland Tribune)

"I've never even seen one in person. I don't even remember one in Little League. It's funny because me and Lopey are always talking about stuff like that, but it rarely happens. It has to be a perfect situation, and that was a perfect situation."

--Chone Figgins on being a part of the 10th triple play in Mariners history. It was started by Jose Lopez, who stepped on third and fired to Figgins, who stepped on second and threw to Casey Kotchman for the third out.
(Seattle Times)

"That's the first time I ever heard of it. But, obviously, I'll just try to keep the streak going."

--Billy Butler, Royals first baseman, who has picked up at least one hit in 88 consecutive series.
(MLB.com)

"If they want me to take some in the outfield, I'd be more than happy to. Or if they want me to get an inning or two on the mound."

"My arm feels so much better than it did last year. The first full season, it was getting stretched out to 170 innings. It was a lot for me. This year, I feel so much better. My arm is recovering so much better, even on a five-day rotation. It feels like forever now. That's one positive when you look at this season as a whole, my arm staying healthy for the whole season. I'm really happy about that."

--Max Scherzer, Tigers starter, comparing how he felt in 2009 to how he's felt thus far in 2010.
(MLB.com)

"He keeps the ball out of the middle of the plate. He's hitting spots. He's been consistent all year -- two years, maybe three."

"When Sturtze was here, he told him, 'Look, you're a power guy. Even if you make a mistake, guys are going to foul those off. Get at them.' That's when Brox really started to take off, when he realized who he was. He is a big power closer. When he has that mentality, he's at his best."

"I played catch today, and it felt good. This is certainly a step in the right direction. Although I don't want to get too overly optimistic, within the last seven days has been the most volume and intensity I've placed on the shoulder in a long time, and it feels better than it has long before that."

--Chris Young, Padres right-hander, who has not pitched in a game since May 5, after a throwing session..
(San Diego Union-Tribune)

"That was probably the hardest I've seen [David] Price throw. ... Every time Price would throw that fastball, it would just ring my finger so bad. I kind of had to just bear through the pain."

"He made such a good debut last time, he was really impressive. I think everybody is excited about seeing him again."

--Carl Crawford commenting on Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, who made his second career start Tuesday night. Hellickson improved to 2-0 by throwing seven shutout innings against Detroit, allowing only three hits while striking out seven in an 8-0 win.
(St. Petersburg Times)

"When he gets on base, we're a different team. That's stating the obvious. He can change the game with his legs. When he gets on base, that bodes real well for us."

--Boston manager Terry Francona commenting on outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury after he stole four bases Monday against the Yankees.
(Boston Herald)

"Everybody knows that it's tough to hit left-handers when you're left-handed, but those are the guys I want to hit the most. That's how you can be better. In the Minor Leagues, I had monster numbers against righties, and against lefties, I had a difficult time.
"But I always knew if I could hit .250 against lefties, my combined numbers will be better. Obviously, I'm hitting over .300 this year, and that's why everything is happening."

--Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies outfielder, on his success at the plate.
(The Denver Post)

"I've been serving my sentence. I've got 24 more hours. Then I get released. The first thing I'm going to do is eat a hamburger. I'm going to call my wife and tell her I'm coming home."

--Torii Hunter on his four-day suspension for arguing with an umpire.
(Los Angeles Times)

"If anyone deserved a no-hitter it was him today. I mean, it really was one of those days you go up to the plate and really feel like, and I hate to say it, 'This guy has been making his pitches all day. What chance do we have right now?'"

--Evan Longoria, Rays third baseman, after breaking up pitcher Brandon Morrow's no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday afternoon.
(MLB.com)

"I've already been through it. You're always going to hear and have speculation that you might go here or there. For me, it's just an everyday thing. I've been through it a few times, [so] it doesn't really bother me or distract me."